


On Without End

by teacupsandtime



Series: Carol Of The Bells [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas Fluff, Dinner Party, Explicit Language, M/M, Secret Relationship, Sexual Content, Will Graham & Beverly Katz Friendship, making out in closets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 18:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16897464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacupsandtime/pseuds/teacupsandtime
Summary: Hannibal throws his annual holiday party and invites Will.





	On Without End

 

_Mr. William Graham_

 

_Dr. Hannibal Lecter_

_requests the pleasure of your company_

_at his annual holiday party._

 

_Friday the twenty-third of December_

_at seven o’clock_

 

Will sighed and ran his thumb over the indention of the script before placing the fine invitation back into its envelope and placing it on his kitchen counter. He felt the quick press of a wet nose on the side of his thigh.

Looking down, he cupped the back of Winston’s ear. 

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “But he’ll want me there.”

Winston looked up and cocked his head at the sound of Will’s voice.

“Even if I’d rather be stabbed. Again.”

He rubbed the soft fur behind Winston’s ear a bit longer before releasing him and picking up his cell phone. Navigating into his contacts, he scrolled until he found his name and dialed.

“Hello Will.”

“Hey. I got your invitation.”

“Glad to hear it. Will you attend?”

“Yeah. I mean, I guess?”

“Do you not wish to come?”

“No, it’s not that. I just - your friends. I won’t have anything to say to your friends.”

“My friends, Will?”

“Yeah, like, the people you introduced me to at the opera; they’ll be there?”

“They will be.”

“Hannibal, I could not possibly have less in common with those people.”

“I have invited Jack, though he has not RSVP’ed yet. I'd be more than willing to invite another guest of your choosing if it would make you feel more relaxed.”

Will looked down at Winston and caught a flash of himself in Hannibal’s fine home, with his lofty guests, shielded on all sides by shedding, drooling dogs.

“Beverly. Would you invite Beverly?”

“Ms. Katz? Of course.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure. May I anticipate your attendance?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. Wait, what do I need to wear?”

“The suit you wore to the opera will be perfectly fine.”

“Jesus, I’m starting to regret this but, yeah, okay. I’ll be there.”

“Will you stay the night?”

There was a quick flush at the base of his neck.

“Yes.”

“Wonderful. I look forward to it.”

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Will.”

**

Will surrendered his car to the valet outside of Hannibal’s home and walked up to the front door; He could hear and smell the party from the other side, in spite of the cold. He rang the bell and waited, glancing down when he felt a vibration in his pocket.

A rush of warm air and light hit him.

“Good evening, Will.”

Hannibal was dressed in a dark suit, offset by a mint shirt and pocket square. His hair was - as always - perfectly arranged. With one hand still on the door, he warmly smiled.

“Hey,” Will answered as he stepped into the foyer.

“May I take your coat?”

Will shrugged himself out of his thick coat and handed it over to Hannibal. The older man deliberately covered their hands, pausing for a moment, before he took the garment from him. His heels clicked on the floor as he walked to the nearby closet and hung it with the others. When he turned back, Will was at his side. 

“You look beautiful.”

His voice was soft, careful of any potential outside ears.

“Thank you,” Will answered.

“Would you like for me to introduce you?”

Will peered over his shoulder at the mingling attendees.

“Let me get a drink first.”

“Of course, come with me.”

Hannibal gestured for him to follow.

“No, it’s okay,” Will insisted. “Go back to your guests. I’ll join you in a second.”

Hannibal smiled.

“Very well,” Hannibal said. “There is a bartender in the main room. Please help yourself to whatever you’d like.”

Will nodded as Hannibal turned and walked back to his guests. He felt his pocket vibrate again and reached down to remove his phone. There were two texts from Beverly.

_Please tell me you’ll be here soon._

_I was just asked to settle a heated debate on the greatest aria of all time. I told them I cut open dead bodies for a living. Please hurry._

Will laughed and composed a response.

_Just got here. Where are you?_

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, Will headed towards the bar and requested a whiskey from the finely dressed young woman behind it. The small glass was handed to him just as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he found Beverly standing in a dark blue strapless dress.

“Hey,” she said to him as she then cast her eyes to the bartender. “Can I get another, please?’

“Hey,” Will said. “You look amazing.”

Beverly smiled as she placed her empty wine glass on the bar and took the new one with a smile.

“Thanks,” she said. “You don’t look half bad yourself. Who’d a’thought we’d clean up so well?”

Drinks in hand, they made their way over to a quiet corner of the room. Will scanned for Hannibal and found the attentive host surrounded by a small group of admirers, hanging on his every word.

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to know that there are several more glasses of wine in my future,” she answered. “Did you just get here?”

Will nodded.

“Yeah, I sent you a message just a second ago.”

“Ah,” she said as she opened her small black bag and pulled out her phone.

The screen lit up her face as she dismissed the text and placed it back in her bag.

“So how do these things usually work?” Beverly asked. “These parties at Dr. Lecter’s estate?”

Will took a long swig of the whiskey in his hand, grimacing slightly as it burned its way down.

“There’s lots of standing around and drinking,” Will began as Beverly tipped her glass to him. “Impeccably dressed waitstaff glide around with appetizers on silver platters. Hannibal will come schmooze with everyone until it’s time for dinner, which will take two hours to complete. Then comes dessert and more alcohol. And talking.”

Beverly rolled her head dramatically and took a deep sip of her wine.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she began. “I know he’s your friend and he’s a nice guy. And this wine is out-fucking-standing but I can’t understand how you hang out with these people."

She coyly motioned to the crowd behind them.

“Hannibal’s different,” Will responded.

In his mind he felt Hannibal’s mouth on his. Hands at his neck. Luxuriously soft sheets at his naked back.

“I like the way his mind works,” he continued. “And he seems to like how mine does as well.”

Beverly smiled.

“Well that’s worth it, I suppose,” she said as her eyes scanned the room. “I guess Jack’s not coming.”

“No?”

“Last I heard he had to deal with some administrative screw up by the end of the day and it didn’t look like it was close to ending when I left.”

Will nodded and tossed back the last of his whiskey.

“I’m going to reload and begrudgingly say ‘hello’,” he said as he headed back towards the bar. “Do you need anything?”

“A lobotomy?”

Will mouthed “ _I’ll see”_ as he refilled his drink and made his way over to Hannibal who had moved onto another group. He placed a quick hand between his shoulder blades and was met with a pleasant smile.

“Will,” he said as he placed a soft hand on his shoulder to turn him towards the small crowd. “This is my dear friend Will Graham.”

Will shook the hands that were offered to him, immediately forgetting the names of everyone Hannibal introduced him to.

All of their voices sounded the same.

“And how did you come to become such good friends with _our dear_ Dr. Lecter?”

“Work. He came to consult on a case I was working on at the Bureau.”

“Oh you’re an FBI agent?”

“Special Agent. I mostly teach.”

“Oh how wonderful! Helping to shape young minds.”

“How long have you been there?”

“Uh, a few years now.”

“Have you lived in the area your whole life?”

“No. I grew up in Louisiana.”

“Oh I love New Orleans! My wife and I took our first trip there as a couple. Such a rich, lively place. Do you ever miss it?”

“Not really. Not the best memories.”

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that.”

“You know Hannibal makes the most wonderful beignets. Though I personally haven’t had the good fortune of having them in a while.”

“The appropriate circumstances must present themselves,” Hannibal said. “Perhaps when you return from Corsica; you are leaving next week are you not?”

Will sighed, thankful for the conversation to be turned away from him. A waiter appeared at his side with another whiskey from the bar. Will looked down to his empty glass and placed it on the silver platter before taking the offering. He made a note to tip the bartender.

A moment later, Hannibal called for everyone’s attention and ushered them into the dining room as dinner was set to begin. When he hesitated, Hannibal pressed a hand to the small of his back and motioned for him to sit by him at the head of the table. When Beverly appeared, he quickly guided her to the seat next to Will.

Will mouthed a “ _thank you_ ” to him as she came to sit at his side.

As everyone took their seat at the delicately decorated table, dotted with meticulously crafted and beautiful dishes, Hannibal came to his feet.

“I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for attending tonight. As many of you know, this is quite a dear tradition to me,” he said. “Having my greatest and most precious friends over to celebrate the end of the year, and the beginning of the next. May the upcoming year bring you all good fortune and health.”

He raised his glass and everyone at the table did the same.

“ _Bon appétit._ ”

There were murmurs of approval and appreciation as everyone took a drink and lowered their glasses to the table to applaud their host. Hannibal smiled and took his seat, motioning for the waitstaff to step in and begin serving everyone.

“I’m _so_ hungry,” Beverly whispered in Will’s ear. “And more than a little drunk. Do you think he’d toss me out if I just started shoveling this shit into my face?”

“No he wouldn’t toss you,” Will said as a serving was placed on his plate. “But he might politely ask you to control yourself.”

Beverly grabbed her fork and took a bite of the first course, unable to stop her eyes from closing for a moment.

“This is incredible,” she said. “Does he make all of this himself?”

Will swallowed the spiced meat in his mouth.

“Not all of it,” he said. “Not this amount anyway. But I’m positive he put the menu together and made the staff prototypes to work with.”

“Well you should add this to your list of reasons of why hanging out with Hannibal Lecter is worth the spectacle.”

Will smiled and continued eating, his eyes bouncing from person to person and back to the man at the head of the table. Hannibal was attentive to his guests vying for his attention while enjoying the meal in front of him with effortless elegance. Will watched the muscles in his throat move as he swallowed, his lips forming soft words.

He finished the whiskey in front of him and flagged a waiter down for another. 

“Easy there, Graham,” Beverly said with a laugh and a playful push of her bare shoulder against his. “One hour down, only one more to go.” 

Will smiled back at her. 

The meal continued. Plates were cleared, new dishes appeared. Conversations gradually rose in volume as the alcohol continued to flow. 

Will could feel the skin under his collar getting warm; he fidgeted with the knot in his tie. Hannibal’s long fingers were tapping idly against the stem of his wine glass. His skin was glowing. Pushing his foot forward, Will stopped when he felt the toe of his shoe hit the side of Hannibal’s. Slowly, he tipped his foot up, under the hem of Hannibal’s slacks; he rubbed it slowly against the fine cloth of his sock.

Hannibal turned his head to meet his eyes.

“Are you enjoying dinner, Will?”

“Very much,” he smiled back. “Thank you, Dr. Lecter.”

“Oh, Hannibal,” came a voice near the middle of the table. “Hannibal, please. Will you please tell John about the wine selection at _Vin_ downtown? He simply refuses to believe me when I tell him about the range they offer.”

Hannibal smiled and indulged them - he always did. Will listened to him speak, though it was getting harder to focus on individual words. He shifted in his chair and let the tips of his fingers graze the side of Hannibal’s thigh. He moved his fingers around the hard muscle clothed in fine wool until he felt Hannibal’s hand find his, interlacing their fingers against his leg. The older man moved his thumb around the skin of Will’s wrist as he continued to speak to his guests.

They separated as dessert was served, and champagne flutes filled. A woman near the end of the table stood to toast their gracious host and everyone raised their glasses and did the same.

Will took a sip of his whiskey and thought about fucking Hannibal in his bed while everyone carried on downstairs.

The room was getting too small, too hot. Will stood and stepped out from his chair. 

“Are you alright,” Beverly asked.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Fine. Just need the bathroom.”

Sidestepping a waiter, Will walked out of the dining room and made his way back towards the entrance of Hannibal’s home. His fingers dug into the collar of his shirt, wrenching it away from his neck as best as he could without loosening his tie. Every article of clothing covering his body felt at once too hot and too tight.

He heard the familiar click of Hannibal’s shoes on wood and turned.

“Will?” he said softly.

Will came towards him and pulled him out of sight, pushing his back into a nearby wall and slipping his tongue into his mouth. A surprised puff of air escaped through Hannibal’s nose as he kissed him back, his hands coming to rest gently on his shoulders. Will rocked his hips into him, his cock hard and pressing into Hannibal’s thigh.

“Come with me.”

Hannibal followed as Will took him by the hand and led them both upstairs, the sounds of their footsteps muffled by the carpet and the boisterous chatter below. As he reached the top step, Will turned and pulled Hannibal towards his bedroom which seemed impossibly far. He came to a stop, opened the linen closet, and dragged Hannibal inside, closing the door behind them. 

Will grabbed at the shelf at Hannibal’s shoulder as he pushed him into the collection of folded sheets and kissed him hungrily again. Hannibal’s body was flush against his own in the small closet and though he seemed to be restraining himself, the solid outline of his cock against his pants betrayed his arousal. 

“It’s a lot harder than I thought,” Will said between kisses. “Pretending to just be your friend in public.”

Hannibal got a hand into his hair and pulled downwards so he had access to Will’s neck. He sucked a long kiss to the skin behind his ear.

“All of your desire,” Hannibal whispered against his flesh. “I am more than willing to introduce you as much more.”

Will pulled back so he could kiss his mouth again, the sounds of lips smacking and quick intakes of breath filling the tiny, dark room. Will blindly reached for Hannibal’s belt and fumbled with the buckle as large, warm hands came to rest on top of his.

“Will,” he whispered against his lips. “We haven’t the time.”

Undoing the buckle, Will yanked his zipper down and then moved his hands to his pockets. He produced a small disposable packet of lubricant and pressed it into Hannibal’s slick palm.

“Yes we do, come on,” Will said as he turned in Hannibal’s arms and found his own belt. 

He tipped his head back to rest on Hannibal’s shoulder and felt teeth at his ear. 

“Please,” he continued as he drove his backside into Hannibal’s crotch. “It never takes me long with you anyway.”

Hannibal’s hands slipped under the waistband of his opened slacks and underwear, fingers wrapping around his erection. 

“That is not a compliment, Will.”

Will moaned more loudly than he intended to.

“ _God_ , yes it is.”

Hannibal’s left hand grabbed at his hip, his other firm on the back of his neck as he bent his body forward in the confined space of the closet. Will moved to brace himself against the shelves as they were both suddenly blinded by light. Turning his head towards the source, Will could only make out a silhouetted slender shape. There was an audible gasp and the door was slammed shut. 

“Oh fuck,” Will sighed into his arms. “Please tell me that wasn’t Beverly.”

Hannibal rubbed his hand up and down Will’s back in a slow, soothing motion.

“I’m afraid it was.”

Righting himself, Will fastened his pants at his hips and secured his belt back into place. 

“ _Fuck_.”

Turning on his heels, Will found Hannibal in the dark and placed his hands flat on his chest. Hannibal finished redressing himself and ran a careful hand through his hair.

“Are you concerned she’ll tell others?” He asked. “Tell Jack?”

“No,” Will said immediately. “I know she won’t. I just, Jesus Christ, I didn’t want her finding out like this.”

Hannibal adjusted Will’s tie and pulled him in sharply to kiss him. When they pulled back, Will could see his eyes glowing in the dark.

“Let’s go.”

Hannibal opened the door to the closet and stepped out, looking both ways before turning back to Will who also emerged. They walked back down the main stairs together and Will made his way through the small gatherings of guests until he found Beverly with a glass of wine in her hand, looking at the music on Hannibal’s harpsichord.

He separated from Hannibal and stopped at the bar on the way over to get a glass of water before he joined her. 

“He composes?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the sheet music. 

“He does,” Will answered.

There was a long, strained pause between them before they met each other’s eyes.

“Bev-”

“No, no, come on,” she said as she grabbed him by the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him towards Hannibal’s front door. Opening it, Beverly stepped out into the cold air and sat on the frozen steps, tapping the empty space at her side with the flat of her hand. Will took off his suit jacket and draped it over her bare shoulders before he joined her.

She smiled at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her breath materialized in the cold air as she spoke.

“You could have told me, Will.”

“I know,” he agreed. “I know. I - we - we haven’t told anyone.”

She took another sip of her wine and then placed the glass on the ground, pulling Will’s jacket tighter around her.

“How long have you been seeing him?”

“Couple of months,” Will answered. 

“A couple of months?!” she exclaimed. “Will, that’s wonderful.”

“Yeah,” he agreed softly.

“You know I won’t tell anyone,” she said. “And anyway, it’s not like you guys are crossing any professional lines. Wait, you’re not still seeing him for therapy are you?”

“No,” Will said. “I stopped going to see him at appointments a while ago. And I was never officially his patient anyway.”

“So no one knows?”

“No, just you.”

She stared straight ahead and then laughed gently. 

“You should at least tell Jack,” she said. “Since he introduced you.” 

Will smiled back at her. 

“Maybe,” he said. “One day.”

Leaning down, she tipped back the rest of her wine and returned the empty glass to the cold ground. 

“Okay, I have to ask,” she began. “What’s he like? You know, in bed?”

Will felt the blood rush to his ears and he licked his lips nervously as he smiled. 

“I’m sorry,” she giggled. “He just seems so . . . _decorous_.”

“He is,” Will said. “But he’s also . . . not.”

“He’s _fucking crazy_ in bed isn’t he?”

“God, Bev.”

They were both laughing freely now.

“Man - ha - I can just imagine,” she said. “Although, I guess I don’t really have to imagine anymore. Good for you, man.”

“Oh shit,” Will said, his smile reaching both ears. “How much did you see exactly?”

“Enough to know that the two of you are both very lucky.”

Will dropped his head into his hands dramatically and sighed.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “Serves me right for opening the door without knocking. I was looking for another bathroom.”

They sat there for another moment before Will came to his feet. 

“Come on,” he said as he extended his hand down to her. “It’s freezing out here.”

Grabbing him by the wrist, she pulled herself up to her feet and followed Will back inside the house. She took his jacket off and handed it back to him, moving to grab her own from the closet.

“I’m going to head out,” she said. “I’ve had just about all the excitement I can stand for one night.”

“Are you okay to drive?”

“Oh yeah,” she said. “I sobered up real quickly about 15 minutes ago.”

Will laughed under his breath and watched as she buttoned her coat. Leaning in, he wrapped his arms around her lightly.

“Thanks, Bev,” he said over her shoulder. “Merry Christmas.”

“You too.”

She pulled away and opened the door.

“Tell Hannibal I said ‘thanks for the wonderful evening’ and I’m sorry for not saying ‘goodnight’ in person.”

“I will.”

He closed the door behind her and made his way back to the main room where Hannibal had resumed his duties as host. He approached him with a lingering hand on his back.

“Has Ms. Katz gone home?”

“She has. She apologized for not finding you herself but said ‘thanks for the wonderful evening and good night’.” 

Hannibal nodded and turned his attention back to the conversation in front of them. The evening slowly died down, guests left and expressed their sincere gratitude for yet another delightful evening at Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s home. The hired waitstaff had begun to clean when Hannibal turned to Will and kissed his temple. 

“Things are nearly done here,” he said gently. “Wait for me upstairs?”

Will nodded and headed for the staircase, stopping on his way to retrieve a slim package wrapped with silver paper from the inner pocket of his coat. He opened the door to Hannibal’s bedroom and found that the fireplace had been lit and the sheets turned down. Tossing the gift on the end of the bed, he shrugged out of his suit jacket and undid his tie, leaving it hanging on either side of his neck.

Downstairs, he heard the sound of the front door closing and car engines firing. 

Hannibal joined him a moment later, his eyes immediately moving to the silver package on the bed. 

“I thought we agreed no gifts?”

Will turned and picked it up, balancing the weight in his hands. 

“I couldn’t resist.”

He watched as Hannibal toed out of his shoes and removed his jacket, tie, and waistcoat. He moved to a drawer in his dresser and pulled out a small velvet box, topped with a thin red bow.

“Seems I am guilty of the same.” 

He joined Will on the bed and they exchanged their gifts. Will watched as Hannibal carefully opened the wrapping paper, revealing a worn but well maintained French medical textbook from the early 1900s. Hannibal smiled as he thumbed through it, his eyes alight with genuine joy.

“Thank you, Will.”

Will smiled and opened the velvet box in his hand, revealing a gold watch that was obviously more expensive than anything else he owned but also remarkably subtle. Will removed it from the box and felt the weight in his hand.

“It’s gorgeous,” he said. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

Will put the watch back in the box and placed it on the nearby nightstand. He beckoned for the book in Hannibal’s hand so it could join it. Reaching forward, Will grabbed at Hannibal’s shirt and pulled him closer, placing a firm kiss to his lips. When they moved back, the older man’s hands came to rip the tie free of Will’s neck. He tossed it to the nearby chair.

“Will things be strange for you and Beverly,” he asked. “Now that the _cat’s_ out of the bag, so to speak.”

Will rolled his eyes and slapped the side of his face lightly. Hannibal grabbed his hand before he could take it away and kissed the inside of his wrist.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Will said. “Thank you for indulging me. I’m not really used to . . . _this_.”

“This?”

“Relationships,” he continued. “Not very good at them.”

“There we disagree,” Hannibal said as he worked at the buttons of Will’s shirt. 

They undressed each other slowly, the warm glow of the fire casting a deep orange tone across their bare skin. 

They didn’t talk anymore that night.


End file.
